The present invention relates to a coaxial cable connector with a switch. The connector is used with signal transceiver circuits in electronic devices, such as, for example, a portable telephone or a Personal Handy-phone System ("PHS"). The present invention also relates to a structure of the coaxial connector in which a plug pin conductor inserted into the connector causes an internal connection to switch to a connection through the plug pin.
For example, a portable telephone and a PHS each have an attached antenna. An external antenna or testing apparatus can be connected to the transceiver circuits of the portable telephone and PHS devices through the coaxial connector. The switch within the coaxial connector disconnects the attached antenna when the external antenna or testing apparatus is connected. The disconnection of the attached antenna occurs simultaneously with, or slightly later than (make before break), the making of a connection to the external antenna or testing apparatus.
Accordingly, the above described type of coaxial connector is used in a variety of compact electronic devices such as portable telephones, etc. Overall electronic device compactness can be achieved only if the coaxial connector is as compact and as thin as possible.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show a conventional coaxial connector 100 with a switch as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open (Kokai) Patent No. 9-245907. A fixed terminal 101 and a switch terminal 102 are transversely arranged within a terminal storage chamber 103. The arrangement of terminals 101, 102 allow coaxial connector 100 to be compact and thin. Moreover, this configuration of coaxial connector 100 reliably connects and disconnects plug pin 111 of a mating connector 110.
Coaxial connector 100 has a parallelepiped-shaped insulating case 104. Terminal storage chamber 103 is a concave cavity within insulating case 104. Fixed terminal 101 and switch terminal 102 are located in terminal storage chamber 103. A plug insertion hole 105 is located at an end of terminal storage chamber 103. Plug pin 111 is inserted into and removed from terminal storage chamber 103 through plug insertion hole 105 in a vertical direction.
Fixed terminal 101 is an elongated conductive leaf spring with an end tip portion that extends through a side wall of insulating case 104. The end tip portion projects through insulating case 104 into an upper portion of terminal storage chamber 103. A fixed contact portion 101 a protrudes from a lower face of fixed terminal 101 within terminal storage chamber 103.
Switch terminal 102 is also an elongated conductive leaf spring with an end tip portion that extends through insulating case 104. The end tip portion of switch terminal 102 projects through insulating case 104 into terminal storage chamber 103. Switch terminal 102 extends across terminal storage chamber 103 to oppose fixed terminal 101. A movable contact portion 102a is located on the end tip portion of switch terminal 102. Movable contact portion 102a resiliently contacts fixed contact portion 101a. Switch terminal 102 also has an intermediate portion on which is located a plug contact portion 102b. Plug contact portion 102b is located below plug insertion hole 105. When mating connector 110 is inserted into plug insertion hole 105, plug pin 111 connects with plug contact portion 102b.
The other end portions of fixed terminal 101 and switch terminal 102 wrap around an external surface of insulating case 104. These end portions extend along a bottom surface of insulating case 104 to form lead portions 101b and 102c. Lead portions 101b, 102c are connected to a surface circuit pattern on a printed wiring board (not shown). Terminals 101, 102 are fixed to insulating case 104 by the portions that wrap around insulating case 104. Switch terminal 102 is thereby arranged to be a cantilever capable of flexing within terminal storage chamber 103.
As shown in FIG. 8, movable contact portion 102a resiliently contacts fixed contact portion 101a prior to the insertion of mating connector 110. Contact between movable contact portion 102a and fixed contact portion 101a is maintained by a spring-type force applied by switch terminal 102. Switch terminal 102 flexes slightly to provide resilient contact between movable contact portion 102a and fixed contact portion 101a. The contact maintained between movable contact portion 102a and fixed contact portion 101a provides an electrical connection between terminals 101, 102.
FIG. 9 shows mating connector 110 inserted into coaxial connector 100. In this configuration, an end tip portion of plug pin 111 contacts movable contact portion 102b of switch terminal 102. Plug pin 111 presses against switch terminal 102, causing switch terminal 102 to resiliently flex in a downward direction. When switch terminal 102 is flexed in this way, contact between movable contact portion 102a and fixed contact portion 101a is broken. Thus when mating connector 110 is inserted into coaxial connector 100, the connection between fixed terminal 101 and switch terminal 102 is broken, while a connection between plug pin 111 and switch terminal 102 is made.
In this configuration, fixed terminal 101 and switch terminal 102 are arranged transversely within terminal storage chamber 103. The direction of insertion of mating connector 110 is perpendicular to fixed contact portion 101a and movable contact portion 102a. This configuration allows for flexible construction parameters because the dimensions of coaxial connector 100 are not completely determined by the length of plug pin 111 and the longitudinal lengths of terminals 101, 102. The flexibility provided by this configuration allows coaxial connector 100 to have a very thin and compact construction.
The above described configuration of coaxial connector 100 accepts insertion of a mating connector 110 which has a plug pin 111 of relatively coarse dimensions. The insertion stroke of plug pin 111 causes switch terminal 102 to flex in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the insertion stroke. However, when the rough dimensions of plug pin 111 are greater than the range which coaxial connector 100 can accommodate, switch terminal 102 is deflected beyond its resilient flexure range. Once switch terminal 102 is deflected beyond its resilient flexure range, it is plastically deformed and cannot completely return to its predetermined position. This plastic deformation results in improper operation of coaxial connector 100.
One factor which determines the resilient flexure range of switch terminal 102 is its length within terminal storage chamber 103. Plastic deformation of switch terminal 102 can therefore be avoided by increasing its length. A desired resilient flexure range can be achieved by setting the length of switch terminal 102 to a desired value. However, increasing the length of switch terminal 102 results in an attendant increase in the width of coaxial connector 100. Therefore, when a desired resilient flexure range is implemented, the thinness and compactness of coaxial connector 100 is limited by the length of switch terminal 102. The dimensions of coaxial connector 100 must be increased to a range greater than desired if it is to accept a mating connector 110 with coarse dimensions. The increased dimensions of coaxial connector 100 results in an undesirable overall loss of compactness for the electronic device to which it is attached.
The compactness of insulating case 104 is also restrained by the length of switch terminal 102. Accordingly, the area occupied by coaxial connector 100 when mounted to a printed wiring board is increased. The resulting increase in area required on the printed circuit board creates an undesirable reduction in mounting density.
In addition, it is desirable to make insulating case 104 as thin as possible to increase the compactness of coaxial connector 100. When insulating case 104 is made to be as thin as possible, the length of fixed terminal 101 from lead portion 101b to fixing electrode 101a is reduced. Coaxial connector 100 is soldered onto a printed wiring board with lead portion 101b being connected to a printed wiring board pattern by the solder. During the soldering process, soldering flux travels along fixed terminal 101 and tends to build up on fixed contact portion 101a. The build up of flux tends to result in imperfect contact being made between fixed contact portion 101a and movable contact portion 102a.